“I’m sorry, miss, I didn’t see you there,” he apologized.
He looked at me and then at the box on the ground. “Are you moving in?” he asked as he looked at his watch.
“Yes, I just got here a few hours ago, and I haven’t had a chance to get the boxes from my truck,” I answered.
“It’s nice to meet you; I’m Sam,” he said as he held out his hand.
“Hi, I’m Lily. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Let me grab that box for you,” he offered as he bent down to pick it up.
“No, that’s alright, I’ve got it,” I said as I put my hand in front of him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let me carry the box for you since I almost knocked you on your ass with the door.” He smiled.
It was the middle of the night, and I was arguing with a hot guy over a box. “Fine; my apartment’s right there,” I said as I pointed to my door.
Sam looked at me and smiled. “Well, look at that; looks like we’re neighbors.”
I opened the door for him as he stepped inside my apartment and set the box down on the floor. “So, you’re the one playing the loud music at 3:00 a.m.?” I asked.
“Sorry about that,” he said as shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll tell Lucky to keep it down.”
“I’d appreciate that. Thanks for the help with the box,” I said as I shut the door.
I spent the next hour unpacking the box and putting away the towels. I organized all my bathroom items and then took a hot, relaxing bubble bath. My hands began to wander as it had been a while since my battery operated boyfriend and I had a date. As soon as I was finished, I got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around me, and walked into the living room where my suitcases were. I opened one suitcase and pulled out a pair of jean shorts and a navy blue tank top. I grabbed my phone from the couch and looked at the time; it was 6:00 a.m. Giselle and Gretchen were coming over to help me unpack around 8:00 a.m., and the bedroom set was being delivered between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. I blow-dried my hair then put it back up in a high ponytail. I put on some light makeup and then decided to go for some coffee.
I stepped out of my apartment at the same time Sam did his. We both looked at each other, and he smiled. “Don’t you ever sleep?” he asked.
“I should be asking you the same thing.” I smiled back.
Sam was hot; there was no question about it. He stood around six feet tall with a great muscular body, sandy brown hair, and brown eyes. He definitely fit the Santa Monica image.
“Where are you off to so early in the morning?” he asked.
It really wasn’t any of his business, but he was being nice, so I felt the neighborly thing to do was to be nice in return.
“I’m off to find some much needed caffeine,” I replied as I stepped out of the building door, and he followed behind me.
“Me too,” he said. “I went to make some coffee, but the bag was empty. I hate it when Luke doesn’t tell me we’re out of coffee.”
“Luke?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s my BF and roommate. Hey, would you like to go get some coffee together?” he asked with a smile.
I studied him. Sam seemed like a really nice guy, and he was gay, so I didn’t have to worry about him hitting on me.
“Sure, I’ll go with you, but we have to make it quick; my girlfriends are coming over to help me unpack.”
I hopped into his truck, and we drove down the road to a coffee house called ‘Brewsters.’ We walked inside, and Sam was instantly greeted by the girl behind the counter.
“Morning, Sam! Who’s your friend?” she asked as she was wiping down the counter.
“Morning, Jamie! This is Lily; she just moved in next door. Lily, this is my cousin, Jamie; she owns this lovely coffee house.”
Jamie wiped her hand dry and held it out to me as I gently shook it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lily. Are you new in town?”
“Yes, I just moved here from Portland last night,” I replied.
“Great, well welcome to Santa Monica and to Brewsters! What can I get you?” she asked.
“I’ll just have a large black coffee.” I smiled. I looked over at Sam and found him staring at me. “What?” I asked.
“That’s how Luke drinks his coffee. I don’t understand how you can drink it with no sugar or cream. We argue about it all the time.”
“Everyone has different coffee taste, Sam,” Jamie said.
“Let me pay for your coffee,” I said to Sam.
“It’s on the house.” Jamie smiled as she handed us our coffees. “Cheap-ass, Sam, over here never pays. Consider it a ‘welcome to Santa Monica gift.’”
“Thanks, Jamie!” Sam smiled as he grabbed a bag of coffee from the shelf. “I’m taking a bag home; I owe you!”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “He owes me every week.” She laughed.
“Thank you, Jamie. It was nice to meet you.” I smiled as I held up my coffee cup.
“It was to meet you too!”
I walked out of Brewsters and climbed into the truck. “Your cousin is really nice,” I said.
“Yeah, she’s more like my sister. She came to live with me and my family when she was eight years old. Her mom and dad were drug dealers who got caught, and they were sent to prison.”
“Are they still in prison?” I asked.
“Yeah, 20 years later, and they’re still there. She hasn’t seen them in all these years either.”
We arrived back at the apartment building, and I got out of the truck. I walked over to my Explorer and set my coffee cup on the hood. I took the keys from my purse and unlocked it. Sam followed me.
“Let me give you a hand with those boxes,” he offered.
“That’s alright, Sam. Go enjoy your coffee. I can handle this.”
He walked over to the back of the Explorer. “Nah, come on, Lily; just let me help. It’s the neighborly thing to do anyway.”
I sighed and unwillingly opened the hatch. Sam smiled, grabbed a box, and headed towards the apartment building. I stepped ahead of him so that I could hold open the door. Before I got up to the door, it swung open, and a guy stood there, staring at me.
“Luke, you’re just in time; hold this box,” Sam said as he handed it to him.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked. “I woke up, and you were gone. By the way, there’s no coffee left.”
“Yeah, I know; I just picked some up at Brewsters. I have the bag in my truck. By the way, this is Lily; she’s our new next-door neighbor.”
Luke looked at me. “Hey,” he said as he quickly looked away.
“Hey,” I replied back.
I couldn’t help but stare at him. He stood in the doorway—all six feet of him—in ripped jeans and a gray muscle shirt. He was barefoot, and his short, brown hair was messy. He was definitely one of the hottest men that I’d ever seen. You could tell he worked out by the muscle and definition in his arms and shoulders. He had a Celtic cross tattooed on his left bicep, with wings behind it. Thank God he was gay. I felt rather uncomfortable because Luke didn’t seem as friendly as Sam did.
“Lily, go unlock your apartment door so that we can get these boxes in there,” Sam said.
I walked past Luke and caught him staring at me. The minute I looked at him, he turned away. As I unlocked the door and opened it, I stepped outside and held the building door open so that Luke could set the box down in my apartment. He did just that and then went inside his apartment and shut the door behind him without saying a word.
“What’s his problem?” I asked Sam.
“Just ignore him. He’s not much of a morning person, that’s all.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed familiar to me, but I knew it wasn’t possible. Just as Sam and I were bringing in the last of the boxes, Giselle and Gretchen pulled up. I haven’t seen them in over three months, so I put down my box and ran over to them as they got out of the car. I hugged Gretchen first and then Giselle.
“I’m so happy
you moved to Santa Monica,” Giselle said as she hugged me tight.
“Me too,” I said as my eyes began to swell with tears.
“Who’s the hot guy that’s walking towards us?” Gretchen smiled as she pushed her hair back behind her ear.
“Hello, ladies.” Sam smiled.
“Sam, this is Giselle, and this is Gretchen; they’re my two best friends.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you,” Sam said as he held out his hand to each of them.
“Sam lives next door, and he’s been helping me bring the boxes in,” I said.
“We also went out for coffee this morning,” he blurted out.
Giselle looked at me and smiled. “Did you hear that, Gretchen? Lily went out for coffee with a guy.”
“I sure did, sis!” Gretchen smiled at me.
I turned and looked at Sam. “Don’t listen to them. Thank you for your help; I appreciate it.”
“No problem. If you need anything, just knock on my door or wall.” He smiled.
I grabbed Gretchen and Giselle’s hands and led them into my new apartment.
2
“So, Lily, tell us about Sam from next door, and what’s going on between the two of you?” Gretchen smirked as she ran her hand along my new couch.
“Nothing’s going on between us!” I exclaimed. “He helped me bring in my boxes; that’s all.”
“But you went out for coffee with him,” Giselle said.
“Correction, we went and grabbed a coffee to go. Besides, he’s gay anyway.”
“Shut up! He can’t be,” Gretchen moaned.
“Yes, he is, and Luke is his boyfriend,” I said as I started unpacking the box for the kitchen.
“What a shame,” Giselle said. “He seems like a nice guy, and he’d be perfect for you.”
“First of all, I’m not on the market. I’m done with men, remember? And second of all, you’ve known him all of ten seconds. How do you know that he’d be perfect for me?”
“We can tell,” Giselle and Gretchen spoke at the same time.
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, help me arrange this furniture.” I smiled.
We moved the living room furniture around until it was perfectly placed. My bedroom furniture had been delivered, and most of my boxes were unpacked.
“What’s this?” Giselle asked as she held the box labeled: SCRAPBOOK.
“Those are just some photos I took when I left Seattle. I was going to make a scrapbook dedicated to the start of my new life. But since I ended up staying in Portland, there isn’t much in there. Just put it in my closet, and I’ll go through it someday.”
“Oh, ok,” she said as she headed to the bedroom. She came back out a few minutes later, holding my guitar. “Aren’t you going to keep this out?”
I looked at her and then at the guitar. “Yeah, I almost forgot about that. I put it in the closet so that it didn’t get damaged while I was unpacking and moving things around. Thanks, Giselle; just find a corner in the bedroom and set it there.”
“I’m starving!” Gretchen blurted out.
“Me too,” followed Giselle.
I looked at the clock, and it was already 6:00 p.m., and I realized I hadn’t eaten a thing all day. “Let’s order a pizza and a salad,” I said.
“Sounds good; where are your menus?” Gretchen asked.
“Considering I moved in last night, I don’t have any menus.” I laughed.
“I have an idea; why don’t you go next door and see if Sam has any pizza menus?” Giselle winked.
“I have an idea; why don’t you just do a search on your phone?” I said.
Giselle rolled her eyes just as there was a knock on the door. I walked over and looked through the peephole to find Sam standing on the other side. I opened the door, and I was surprised to see him standing there, holding two pizzas and a large brown bag.
“Sam, what’s all this?” I asked as I pointed to the pizzas.
“I thought you ladies would like something to eat since you’ve been working hard all day.” He smiled.
“Come in, and thank you!” I smiled.
“You’re a lifesaver!” Gretchen proclaimed as she walked over and kissed him on the cheek. “We’re starving.”
“That was very nice of you to think of us, Sam. Let me get my wallet; how much do I owe you?”
“Nothing, it’s on me. Consider it a housewarming gift,” he said.
“You didn’t have to do that, but thank you, and please join us,” I insisted.
“Don’t mind if I do.” He smiled.
I took some plates from the cabinet, grabbed some forks from the drawer, and sat down next to Sam at the table. Gretchen had already torn into the breadsticks while Giselle opened the salad. Sam grabbed a slice of pizza from the box, put it on my plate, and then smiled at me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back.
“You could have invited Luke to come over,” I said to Sam.
“I already asked him, but he refused. I told him that we’d be in the company of three beautiful women and great food, so it was his loss.”
“And what did he say to that?” I asked.
“He said he’s good and just for me to come alone.”
I got up from my seat and grabbed the bottle of wine Giselle and Gretchen had brought over. I took the wine glasses from the cupboard and set them on the table. Sam stood up, opened the bottle, and poured each of us a glass. He held up his glass for a toast.
“To my new neighbor, Lily. May we become great friends and share many good times.”
We all smiled and clanked our glasses. “Thank you, Sam.”
We talked for a few hours about our careers. Sam’s an architect and works for a well-known company called Glassman and Fillmore. I shared my love of photography and the fact that I have a teaching degree, which was the reason that brought me to Santa Monica. Gretchen and Giselle talked about their modeling careers and the exotic places they’ve been. It was late, so Gretchen and Giselle called it a night. I hugged them goodbye, and Sam walked them to their car.
I was cleaning up the kitchen when a text message came through from Gretchen.
“I’m in love with Sam; why does he have to be gay?”
I smiled and shook my head as I replied, “All the good ones usually are.”
I finished cleaning up and looked at the clock; it was 2:45 a.m. I turned the lights off and walked into the bathroom. I turned the shower on, undressed, and stepped inside. It was a long day, and all I wanted to do was stay under the stream of hot water forever. After I managed to drag myself out of the shower, I put my pajamas on and looked at the guitar sitting in the corner of my bedroom. I walked over and picked it up. I sat down on the edge of the bed and started strumming a few chords. Memories of my father came to my mind, and I started to play the song that he used to sing to me when I was a child. When I was done playing the song, I looked at the clock again, and it was 4:00 a.m. I put the guitar back on its stand and climbed into my new bed. I prayed to God to please let me sleep peacefully.
***
My eyes flew open from the nightmare I was having. The clock read 6:00 a.m. as I glanced at it, and I had only slept two hours. I laid in bed, but I tossed and turned; there was no way I was going back to sleep. My mind was racing with the fact that I begin my teaching job tomorrow. I loved kids, and I loved being a teacher, but I also loved photography and would like to make that my career. I’m twenty-six years old, and I’m still undecided on what I want to do with my life. I thought I had it figured out with Hunter. My life was all planned out. We were going to get married, have a couple of kids, and live in a house with a white picket fence. I was going to pursue a career in photography while tutoring kids on the side. He was going to come home from work, and we were going to eat the meal together that I spent all day preparing. Was I just desperate to find some normalcy in my life?
I got out of bed and put on a cute little floral print sund
ress that I bought before I moved here. I dragged my ass to the kitchen for some coffee. Shit, I forgot to buy coffee. I sighed. I wondered if Sam was awake. I walked over to the wall and pressed my ear up against it. Since I didn’t know the layout of his apartment, I took a chance and lightly knocked on the wall. I smiled when there was a knock back. I walked next door and knocked on the door. I gasped when the door opened, and Luke was standing there in a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms that sat just below his hips. I instantly became nervous and started fidgeting.
“Can I help you with something?” Luke asked as he stared at me.
“Um, hi, I was wondering if Sam was around,” I said nervously.
“No, Sam isn’t here.”
There was tone in his voice that suggested I was bothering him.
“Oh, I’ll catch him later then,” I said as I turned my back and started to walk back to my apartment.
“Wait, is there something you needed?” he asked.
I turned around and looked at him. Even though he was rude, he was sure as hell the sexiest man that I’d ever seen.
“I was just going to ask if I could borrow some coffee. I forgot to buy some yesterday, and being the caffeine addict that I am, I kind of need some, quick.”
The corners of his mouth curved into a tiny smile. “Come on in,” he said as he stepped aside.
As I stepped inside his apartment, I was shocked at how big it was. I guess being the end apartment has its advantages.
“What do you take in your coffee?” Luke asked as he opened the refrigerator.
“I drink it black, but that’s ok, I’ll just borrow some and make it at my place.”
“You said you needed coffee quick, and I have some made, so take this cup and drink it,” he growled.
“Ok,” I said nervously.
I looked around his apartment as I took a sip of coffee. It was spotless, and everything was in its place. The dark brown, leather furniture complimented the beige walls and a 65 inch TV was displayed on the wall. I was very uncomfortable, but I couldn’t leave until I finished my coffee.
“You’re one of the very few people that I know who take their coffee black,” Luke said out of nowhere as he poured himself a cup and sipped it.